Ryuu followed Ellie up the path, the lanterns of the town brightening the cobblestone. Behind he could hear FistOmen and Hermans footsteps, one heavy, one light. They were walking towards the lake, in particular small hillside overlooking the water.

"Everyone's already gathered. It should be starting any minute." Ryuus cousin said, keeping her face forward. They were walking on an incline, up towards a hill at the edge of town. At its top waited several dozen players. The darkness of the night shrouding most of their appearances.

"I'm not used to staying up this late." Ryuu said, a yawn bogging down his words. FistOmen laughed. "Come on, even Hermans keeping it up."

Ryuu groaned. Ahead Ellie stopped abruptly, causing him to nearly bump into her. Ryuu took a step to the side and peaked around his cousins right shoulder. His eyes widened. "Woah…"

After its peak the hill gradually sunk down until the grass morphed into sand, and water brushed along its shoreline. Save for a small pathway at the front the hill wrapped around the entirety of the small beach, not fifty feet across. Directly ahead the moon casted down its light on the water. Ryuu felt a slight sinking in his stomach. It's too calm out there.

"This is looking like it's going to be some sort of coliseum fight." FistOmen eyed the other players, him and Herman took their places at Ellies left.

"There's so many people here. I didn't realize there were this many in Bower Lake so far."

Ryuu crossed his arms, trying his best to recognize the other players. "Guess we weren't as good as we thought." To his left were the vast majority of the players, clustered in large groups he didn't recognize. Though Ryuu could make out what he thought was TankGod and the rest of his following on the other side of the hill.

To his right was only one player. Mostly shrouded in the night Ryuu had to squint to make out the mans dark adventurer outfit, while his face was hidden by a black hood. A little bit morbid for a game like this? The man looked at him and Ryuu quickly snapped his gaze back to the front.

Ellie scanned the area. "Kungen said twenty minutes, didn't he?"

Fist frowned. "That was over half an hour ago."

"What about that other girl?" Ryuu heard Herman squeak.

Fist looked at Ryuu. "Awh yeah that one that saved us, right Ryuu?"

"Uloveme?" Ryuu put a finger to his chin, recalling the last time he saw the woman at the inn. "Yeah I think she said she as gonna show up. She seemed pretty mad at Kungen for something though."

Fist turned his attention back towards the front, shaking his head again. "Better not be a no show."

Ryuu wasn't sure when it happened, but soon after FistOmen spoke the hill went quiet. Across the lake the water calmed itself Even the small bugs and animals that Ryuu heard in the night also disappeared. Ryuu and Ellie exchanged glances, he saw her eyes widen. Ryuu turned to his right.

Between Ryuu and the dark hooded man Uloveme had appeared without a sound. "Good to see you here DarkRiser." She said to the hooded man, Uloveme then looked at Ryuu. "I'm sorry were late, but the show is going to start now." She nodded ahead.

Without warning a heavy rumble shook both the lake and the hill Ryuu had to steady his feet. Far in the distance he could see a small wave roll in from the center at Bower Island. The closer it got the more violent the shakes became.

"What's going on?" Ellie asked, Ryuu could hear the tremble in her voice. He looked back at Uloveme. She's smiling, He realized. Ahead the wave had grown exponentially larger, and soon became all that Ryuu could see out of the lake. As it was seconds away from hitting the shore, he braced himself.

In one fluid motion, the wave crashed against the shore with one last, thunderous shake. The bubble of water collapsed to reveal the form of the most massive creature Ryuu had ever seen in game. Several dozen tentacles jutting out in every direction, leading back to the form of what looked to be a Kraken. Its eyes were blackened voids while its teeth looked more like whitened longswords than molars. The beast let out a deafening roar, its name fading in a massive glowing font in the air.

Titus, 1st Child of Oceanus

Ryuu swallowed a lump in his throat. The rest on the hill were silent, FistOmen mumbled. "Bruh…."

Titus's eyes scanned the area, making eye contact with each and every player along the hill. Ryuu felt a surge of fear rise up his chest. Titus snarled, revealing the full height of its teeth. Slowly, its tentacles rose further from the ocean. Blackened saliva oozed from its mouth as Titus moved his way up the shore. Several players from the crowd gasped, while others took their steps back. Ryuu placed a hand on one of his holsters. This is bad, this is very bad.

Firm and steady, there was a footstep in the grass, and then another, and another. It was nearly inaudible until even Titus seemed to notice. The world went quiet, the entire player base of the hill looked down.

From the opening at the bottom of the hill strode in a single player. On his back was a single katana, sharp and glowing. His armor was strapped to his body tightly. He wore a thick iron helmet that let out a trace amounts of blonde hair along his shoulders. Kungen made no other sounds as he approached the beast.

Titus eyed the player as he stopped not fifteen feet away from the shore. Slowly, its tentacles rose back from the water and turned their attention towards the player. Kungen withdrew his sword in his right hand, its augment glowing brighter than ever. All was still. Ryuu held his breath.

With the volume of a volcanic eruption, Titus let out a roar. Kungen lunged at the beast. Ryuus eyes were illuminated with the first shockwave of the battle.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Apollo kicked the rock again and it bounced several feet ahead. He kept his hands in his pockets, and his eyes trained down at the ground. The night was quiet, and the lake was still. Every ten or so feet he would kick the same stone along the cobblestone, he had kept it going for the last hour.

He had followed the Bower Road along the lake since he left Docktown. The path was longer but Apollo enjoyed the scenery. In addition it always seemed to be the safest route, Apollo never recalling to run into much trouble along the route. Yet that night was completely devoid of any other actions, nothing else seemed to be moving but him. Not even a few beetles?

He kicked the rock again.

Guess it's because of the boss fight? Apollo stopped to look up at the sky. Despite the virtual moon dominating as a light source the other stars still managed to appear along every corner of the games ceiling, with few clouds to block their way. It'll be starting soon too.

Apollo yawned, he pulled his eyes back towards the road. It's getting late, I'm gonna need to get a room at Gallinero.

Suddenly a man appeared from the tree line bordering the path. Apollo had to squint to see him, more than a hundred feet up the path. He looked to be stumbling. Apollo saw the man look his direction before falling to the ground just a few steps short of the lake. Is that a player? Apollo spotted a name tag, though it was too far to read. Apollo went towards him.

"Hey...!" Apollo began, though he cut himself short when he saw a tall figure emerge from the wood. It was a man, he quickly realized. He wore what looked to be a darkened armor, with a heavy blade held in one hand. The man didn't seem to notice Apollo as he walked towards the player. Apollo stopped and stared. Is he a player too? The knight had a name tag, but it looked to of a red font instead of the normal black. Isn't that only for monsters? But why is his name set up like a player? Apollo met eyes with the first player again, he saw something. No…

The first mans scream echoed across the lake. "Help! Please, someone he's trying to kill me-" The knight plunged his great sword into the first players chest, silencing his cry and shattering him into thousands of crystals. Apollo froze, his mouth agape.

The man bent over and looted the corpse of the other player. From the wood came a large horse that stopped next to the knight, its skin black in color like the players armor. Apollos eyes couldn't come off the red of the players name. The Knight looked at him, his name tag alight with the word Defil3d. Apollos heart skipped a beat. Defil3d stood back up, stared at the boy and began to walk towards him.

Get out of here. Get out of here now. His mind screamed, but his body was frozen. The figure of Defil3d grew larger as he approached. The man was well over six feet in height, the armor only bolstering his appearance. Each step he took forward felt his like an earthquake in Apollos head. Why would he kill another player? Defil3d reared his blade back. Why would anyone? The blackened metal began to glow. What's the point? The Black Knight swung his sword at Apollo. Shit!

Apollo ducked, the wind created by the swipe brushing against his hair. He kicked his right leg against the ground, sparks consuming it. He screamed as he threw kick at the Knight. "Get the hell away from me!"

Defil3d parried the blow with his blade, pulling it from the ground to his chest with the speed of a balverine. The area exploded into blue light between the two. Apollos body was thrown several feet back, the player landing in a tumble.

Apollo looked up to see the knight once again walking towards him. Dust filled the air from where the hit caused the knight to slide back. Apollo stood up on one knee, both of his hands beginning to glow a bright blue. "We're supposed to be surviving together, not killing each other!"

"The more powerful the player, the more xp for the kill." Defil3ds voice was deep and rugged voice.

Apollo gritted his teeth and launched himself at the knight, a blue streak of lightning following the mages trail. He threw an electricity heated right fist at Defil3d. Sparks flew as the knight once again blocked the attack with his blade. A blowback hit the two again, but smaller. Apollo slid back a few feet, the Black Knight used it to arc his blade back once again. The ensuing slash caught the mage at his side as he swung his left fist at the knights helmet. Both hits collided and both players were sent sprawling apart again.

Apollo landed sliding, instinctively holding his hand over where he was cut. The healthbar appeared at the top of his screen. The boys eyes widened. This can't be real… Nearly a fifth of his health had fallen from the attack. Apollo looked up at Defil3d, the player once again already on his feet and moving towards the mage again. His health barely took a hit, what level is this guy? Defil3d dragged his blade on the ground as he walked, making a screeching sound against the cobblestone.

Apollo took a deep breath and launched another bolt at the man. The Knight dissipated the energy with an upward wave of his blade. He's too strong. Apollo let his hands glow again. I need to get out of here-

The mages heart skipped a beat. Defil3d at lunged the span of over twenty feet in the blink of an eye. With his blade raised and glowing an ominous red, the Black Knight brought it down for a clear arc across Apollos chest. "Devils Swing", Defil3d mumbled. The boy was sent flying.

The Knight stopped then, the red of his blade dimming and eventually dissipating. Apollo landed several feet away in a hard crash, a fall that would have shattered his bones outside the laws of the game. Defil3d stared on from afar. At the top of Apollos screen two thirds of his health had vanished mere moments after the strike. The bar began blinking and Apollo found his vision reddening. He stumbled to his feet.

"That the best you got?" Apollo said, trying his best to bring a smile forward to match the Knights gaze.

Defil3ds blackened steel helmet showed no expression, he started to walk again. Apollo smile evaporated as the fear clawed its way back up from his stomach. He tried to keep his breathing calm as he looked around. The woods at his left were thick and seemingly impassable, while at his right were miles upon miles of lake water. Even from behind he could hear the hooves of the black horse pace over the pathway. Shit, shit. He'll get me on the path, he'll get me on the woods, I can't swim. Apollo watched the Knight loom closer, the metal of his blade once again screeching against the cobblestone as he dragged it.

Suddenly there was a loud explosion in the distance, a shockwave of sound that nearly knocked Apollo off of his feet. The boss fight. He realized. He looked up at the Black Knight, the man also looking towrads the lake. Screw it I gotta do this now!

Apollo slapped both hands against the ground, the cobblestone clapped as sparks flew out from it. Apollos body shoot dozens of feet in to the air. The boy knew he had only done this twice before, and that if it were going to work he would have to get it right. From the air he could see Defil3d having stopped with his blade once again arced back. He's waiting for it.

Apollo narrowed his eyes, focusing. Both of his legs began to glow, the blue enveloping to his knees on both. It would require almost the entirety of his remaining mana knew. He took a deep breath, Electric Pulse. A thunder clap echoed across the forest as an arc of lightning shot from Apollos feet. It's destination not Defil3d, but the air in the forest to the right. The resulting blowback propelled Apollos body far into the blue of the lake.

The last thing Apollo remembered was seeing the shoreline shrink in the distance before he felt a rush of cold water cut his vision to black.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Blow for blow, move by move, he countered the monsters every attack. A bit quicker than I thought, but its health is falling faster as well. Kungen thought as sliced through another one of Titus's tentacles. The beast let out an ear piercingly loud cry, with that it only had two of the tentacles left and a health bar that had just fallen below ten percent. Kungen took a deep breath, gazing up at his own health bar.

28%? Still higher than I thought. He looked over at the body of his NPC questing companion, Edward Gwynne, lying limp on the ground. Shame about Edward though.

Titus lunged at Kungen with the full bite force of its mouth, large enough to crunch a man whole. The warrior evaded it with a quick sidestep, pulling a slash down on the monsters weakest point of its eyes. From the hill above he could hear one of the players gasp.

"He's really doing it, he's going to solo Titus!" Other players began to holler as well, cheering even. Under his helmet Kungen couldn't help but smile. Looks like mission accomplished. Titus thrusted another tentacle at him, its speed much slower than before. Kungen parried the attack with his blade before swinging around in an arc to dismember the struggling limb. Titus was down to one, Kungen readied himself. After the next one will come the big blow, gotta be ready.

"Kungen! Kungen! Kungen!" The crowd began to cheer for the man, Titus launching his final assault with his last remaining limb. Out of the corner of his eye Kungen spotted Uloveme. The womans red cloak down and a bright smile across her face. Even her? I sure must be doing a good job then. Titus roared once again and launched himself at the warrior. Kungen exhaled loudly, plunging his sword straight down the middle of the man sized limb, splintering it into several pieces. The cheers were deafening.

"Alright everyone!" He yelled. Titus had pulled back, its remaining eye beginning to glow a deep blue. "This is it, get ready?" The players quieted and watched, Kungen turned back around to face the beast. "Alright you bastard, give me everything you got." Titus's roar seemed to fit a response.

Kungen strode forward, extending his right arm and blade straight out to his right. It began to take on a glow of its own. The warrior took a deep breath. Here goes.

Titus's eye popped and from it arose a final tentacle, racing towards Kungen at an exponentially faster speed than those prior. Letting his blade fall to his side, Kungen spun it up without hesitation. From the tip emerged a great golden light, rising exponentially higher every second until it formed a line over the top of Titus. Kungen looked up, "Divine Fury".

From the tip of the beasts final tentacle to the bridge between its former eyes the light came down. Titus let out one last bloodshot scream before it separated into two halves. Kungen turned around as the beast shattered into thousands of shards. The crowd went wild.

"You're the best!"

"We can't lose with you man!"

"Kungen!"

They came from every corner. Only when Kungen removed his helmet did the crowd finally go silent. The piece of armor disappeared into his inventory, allowing the mans long blonde hair to once again fall to his shoulders. He looked up at the cluster of players above, ignoring the 2D screen the popped up in his field of view.

"I know you all must have many and questions and believe me, I would too. What you just witnessed was the beginning of the end for this regions boss." He raised his hand, motioning towards the scene behind him. "If one man can beat this boss alone, then just imagine what all one hundred in the area can! What we can do for everyone trapped in this world!" His second pause was longer, allowing the other players to let out a collective cheer. They stopped as he turned the 2D menu in front of him around.

"This. This is the global quest that I just completed. I'm sure you've all heard of this. We are now two thirds of the way complete. All that's left is Oceanus himself!" He cleared his throat, preparing himself. Kungen turned his body to his side and pointed at the distant view of Bower Island miles away at the center of the lake. "In three days I'm going to leave docktown on a ship bound for Bower Island. There awaits the final boss of this region, Oceanus himself. If we beat him then that will give everyone hope that we can beat the rest! We'll prove to Adrian Black that we won't go out that easy! That we won't just roll over and accept our fates! Who's with me?"

All at once, every player, from every angle, corner and space around him cheered. They poured down the hill by the dozen, rushing to greet him. Kungen finally let himself smile.